Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-07-29
WOMAN AND HOME.
PRENTICE MILFORD breaches A
SHORT SERMON TO MOTHERS.


ing the Revolution-A False shame.
Children's Friends and Companions.
A Southern Household-A "Screamer."
You see, madame, you've sown and now
you are reaping. There's been on your part
too much devotion to the children and too
little to yourself. You are an individual as
well as any one of your children. You that
individually call for improvement on every
side. You've been saying all these years, Il
don't care much what becomes of me. so that
the children have good send off in the world"
That's all wrong. You've worked hard all
these years, nursing these boys and girls,
feeding them, clothing them, worrying over
them. You've been for them mother, nursery
governess, housekeeper and upper servant,
and that's about all You've kept Yourself
hived in your house, and much out of the
world and ont Of society You haven't kept
up with the world. You neglect your dress
and look like II dowdy When you do dress,
YOU put on too much When you don't dress,
you put on too little.
Your education in certain respects has not
gone ON with that of tho children Education
i'll this world or any other never stops. The
education you get from varied association
that you get out of books. People are books
You have toiled yourself Mt home into
servant Your children call you mother"
but regard YOU as their servant. You've
educated them SO to do and they can't help it.
They associate you only with the care of the
house, the care of the table, the washing and
ncnling and l,t!c else. You can't think or
talk of much else
Your children see the difference between
you and other ladies' When you go in com
pany you're always putting your foot in it
somewhere or turning up some corner of the
family curtain that had better have been left
turned down. For this reason YOUR children
are both ashamed and afraid of you They
can't help it.
You say your children should have more
gratitude. You can't expect gratitude from
children til they have children of their own
By that time its too late for their gratitude
to h" ot much service to yon
Children take all their parents give them
mon,,. clothes food and shelter-as matter
OF c.u.'>, They think these things come as a
matter IF course until they're obliged to 20
to wo.t and earn them
You've toiled yourself into prematurey
old woman. You complain that yodr girls
"run over you." They wouldn't run over you
if you'll cultivated all your talents
Dignity is Il talent, and you haven't cult
waited that. Command of temper is talent,
and You haven't cultivated that. Grace Of
bearing, address, tact, well chosen language
all these are talents and you've given them
all the go by.
You've committed that pernicious sin Of
saving nothing for yourself and everything
for your children. If saying that so that the
cbildrcn's light shone, you'd be willing to be
a Snulfy old candle and now that you are a
snulfy old candle. and your children treat
you as one, you don't like it,
"Ought we not to love our children better
than oursclves" you ask. No. Love thy
neighhor as myself" says Scripture. Your
children are your neighbors. Mark the pas
sage-"aS myself not better than thyself.
There, certain amount of love due from
every one to themselves If you don't love
yourself you'll neglect yourself in some way.
Love doesn't mean abuse of self 1t means
proper care of ones self. If you don't love
your body you won't keep it properly
cleansed or clothed; if you love your
stomach you won't put anything in it to hurt
it; you won't put in it bigger load than it
can carry. If you love your mind you'll see
that it, kept clear and polished and bright
uhu leuuN 10 receive Ihe DeSu IDEAS that come
floating TO it in the air.
When You love anything so much that
you're willing to give yourself all away for
its sake you're helping to make a ruin of
self and making yourself less and less able to
attract love, regard, esteem and respect from
others.
It's time Ne saw all the way round some
texts i'll Scripture, and not half way round.
Your minister ont 10 have told you better
Prentice milford IN San Francisco Chronicle